10 Things to Love About Her
by Smudgee
Summary: It all starts because Jughead Jones is many things but stupid isn't one of them. When he overhears Jason Blossom whining, actually whining, about how he can't take out Polly Cooper unless someone also takes out her little sister, Betty, he thinks this could be his chance. Or, in other words, Jughead flips the script to get the girl, no matter how unconventional it might be.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: In which I flip a trope in 3 parts and 10 reasons**

1\. She's Beautiful

It all starts because Jughead Jones is many things but stupid isn't one of them. When he overhears Jason Blossom whining, _actually whining_ , about how he can't take out Polly Cooper unless someone also takes out her little sister, Betty, he thinks this could be his chance. All thanks to the Cooper family rule implemented after one too many generations on their mother's side ended up pregnant before graduation.

The twisted logic being, of course, that they'll somehow manage to cockblock one another as if Betty wouldn't acquiesce to whatever her sister wanted and vice versa. Despite that, the rule still stood and it was as infamous in the halls of Riverdale High as the Cooper girls were beautiful.

Having transferred at the end of their sophomore year from Ohio, to spend time with his dad before leaving for college Jughead spent more time observing than interacting. And one of his favorite things to observe is Betty Cooper.

Which is how he ends up telling Jason he'll do it when the redhead starts offering money to whoever gets Betty to go out with them. She hasn't accepted a single date in the last year for reasons unknown but Jughead Jones is both stubborn and relentless.

He also has a plan.

At Jason's disbelief he insists he's serious and wants to know the terms of what's expected of him. He doesn't really think that the entitled and spoiled less interesting Blossom sibling needs to know he'd have done it for free. A hundred dollars plus expenses per date is what he offers and as they shake on it, Jughead is already thinking about step two to his plan.

Being impulsive has its advantages and disadvantages he discovers as he realizes he hasn't the nerve to talk to Betty all that often over the last year but he took the deal now he's got to follow through. It would be weird to admit that he knew where she was on a Thursday afternoon but he does so if it's weird, so be it.

He also knows he has about twenty minutes to catch her before she leaves for cheerleading practice, something else he's not proud to have the knowledge of but Jughead has never been an underachiever at his pining for Betty Cooper. If it were a sport he'd have a letterman jacket with at least three first place trophies. Making his way to the school newspaper office he's trying to calm his nerves as what he's actually done starts to set in.

Standing in the doorway he sees her, her back facing him as she adjusts her ponytail, short cheerleading skirt riding up her thighs making him forget his name, _both_ of them, for a moment why he's even there. He's startled out of his thoughts when she turns and jumps, her hand to her chest and eyes wide.

"Oh, Jughead! You scared me," she says to him, bending to pick up her bag that was next to her feet. "What can I help you with?"

"Uh," he stutters out, lost in the length of her legs. "Uhm-"

Tilting her head at him in confusion she raises her eyebrows. "Uhm…?"

Clearing his throat he tries again. "Yeah, uh, so-" Taking a deep breath he says the rest as quickly as possible. "-I need to talk to you about something. When you're free. I mean, when you can. If you want, of course, you don't need to talk to me if you don't want to but I want to talk to you about something-"

"Jughead," Betty interrupts. "You want to talk to me about something?"

"Yeah," he murmurs then louder says, "Yes."

"Sure. Can it wait until after Vixen practice?" she asks, hauling the strap of her bag over her shoulder as she makes her way to the door to leave. "We can meet at Pop's if you want, no wait, if someone sees they might tell my mother. How about the library tomorrow morning?"

"That's uh, yeah, that's fine," he gets out as she walks past him into the hallway. "What time?"

"Seven?" she questions, spinning around to face him. "Is that alright?"

"It's fine," he tells her. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Jughead," she calls over her shoulder as she makes her way toward the gym.

The next morning he was pacing nervously in front of the library doors while waiting for Betty to show. He'd practiced what he was going to say until way too late and talked himself out of doing it at least three times before sucking it up and deciding to take the chance. Concentrating on his pacing he doesn't notice her walking up behind him.

"Hey," she says behind him, making him jump and turn, looking at her with wide eyes.

She's trying not to laugh as she smiles at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Oh, hey. Hi," he manages to get out. "Shall we?" he asks, motioning towards the library door.

"Sure," she answers, walking ahead of him and thanking him as he opens the door for her.

Finding a table at the back for even more privacy than one can expect in a school library at seven in the morning he walks around it, pulling out a chair for her as he sits in a chair across from her.

"So…" she says, tapping her fingers on the table while waiting for him to start.

Taking a deep breath he decided to just rip off the band-aid and get it over with. "Okay. Uh, okay, here's the thing, Jason Blossom wants to date your sister, right?"

She nods at him in agreement. "He does."

"But because of the rule or whatever your parents have, if you don't go then she doesn't go-"

"Also true," Betty interjects.

"Right. So, yesterday he started offering money to anyone who could get you to go out with them so he can take your sister out," he tells her quickly so she can't cut him off.

Betty's eyes get bigger than usual and her mouth drops open slightly in surprise. "What?"

"Yes, but here's the thing, I told him I'd do it," he admits softly.

"You what?!" she whisper yells at him, her face changing into a mixture of shock and anger.

"Wait, wait, hear me out before you completely take off my head," he insists, leaning further over the table in her direction. "I was thinking we could take his offer and split the profits."

"Are you saying you want me to fake date you? To make money?" she questions him with narrowed eyes. "For what reason?"

Jughead swallows the lump that suddenly found itself in his throat. "Okay so when you put it like that it sounds weird-"

"I'll do it," Betty cuts in with a shrewd look on her face. "But it's fifty-fifty or nothing and if you're going to pretend to be my boyfriend, you better be really ready to act like it."

He knows he must look slightly scared at the smirk Betty shoots him because she just smiles wider and sticks her hand out to shake on it.

"Deal?"

Hoping he didn't just walk into a disaster of his own making he reaches out to shake her hand. "Deal."

* * *

2\. She's Cunning

"Here's what's going to happen, Jughead," Betty says as they walk out of the library, "whether you wanted it or not, you've got yourself a girlfriend. Well, fake girlfriend anyhow." She grabs his hand and he almost jerks out of her grip in surprise but manages to school his face before he gives himself away. "So, I hope you're ready to be a boyfriend."

Totally thrown by her aggressive attitude about the whole thing he just mumbles a quick agreement before asking, "Can I ask why you said yes to this so fast?"

Stopping, she twists to glance at him before continuing to walk, pulling him by the hand once more. "Jason Blossom is a spoiled brat, right?"

"True."

"But I also think he genuinely likes my sister-"

"So why mess with him like this?" he interrupts.

"One, it gets Polly what she wants, which is to go out with Jason and two, it gets me what I want," she informs him.

Confused but still following her by the hand she has hold of he asks, "What is it you want?"

"I get to prove a point to all the guys who tried to date me just so they could either get to Polly or to win a bet," Betty tells him, intertwining her fingers through his as they slowed down before reaching her locker.

"Polly? Over you?" he blurts out and can immediately feel the heat crawling up his neck and all the way to his ears.

"Thanks," she says. "I think, anyway. But here's the deal, Jughead, I know you have your bad boy brooding rep to maintain but you're gonna have to suck it up and act like you love me, alright? If we're doing this, we're going to make them believe it."

He immediately feels guilt over using Jason's offer to try and get to know her better even though he had been mostly honest about his intentions. It's the intentions he hadn't been honest about that were the problem.

"Betty-"

She makes a hmm sound at him as she stops at her locker, putting in her combination to unlock it.

"Look, Betty, there's a reason I said I'd take Jason up on his offer," he confesses quietly.

She spins around to face him. "What?"

"There's a possibility that I agreed to help Jason so that I'd have a reason to ask you out?"

"Was that a question or a statement?" she asks him, confusion clear on her face.

Rubbing the back of his neck before adjusting the hat on his head he sighs out a soft reply of, "Statement."

Betty is staring at him, seemingly considering what she's going to say, or do, to him when she lifts her chin a little and asks pointedly, "Why not just ask me out?"

"Because I am unbearably socially awkward and impulsively make bad choices from time to time?"

Narrowing her eyes at him she leans back against the still closed locker. "Are you saying that asking me out would have been a bad choice?"

"What? No!"

"So you're saying you'd only ask me out impulsively?"

"Of course not!"

Smirking at him she continues her questioning. "So, which am I, Jughead? An impulsive choice or a bad one? I really hope I'm not both."

Scrambling for an answer he almost misses the amusement on her face. "You're messing with me, aren't you?"

Standing up and turning back to her locker she shrugs. "A little, yeah."

"I'm sorry, you know," he tells her and he can see the bobbing of her ponytail as she nods. "I went about it all wrong-"

"Yeah, maybe, but hey," she starts and then turns around again, "we can still take Jason for all he's worth, right?"

"Wait, what?"

Leaning closer to him to whisper into his ear, "Hear me out, okay? My reasons still stand for doing this so if you're game, so am I. Also, maybe one of these days I'll let you take me on a real date."

"Yeah?" he asks, trying to fight a smile.

"Sure," she says, turning to her locker again. "Besides, you're not half bad to look at. But I'm telling you now, if you're a bad kisser the whole deal is off."

* * *

3\. She's Brilliant

Betty tells him to meet her outside the cafeteria before lunch so they can make their entrance together. He's standing just outside the doors when he sees her walking up with the only person he's ever known to be intimidating while wearing a string of pearls.

Making her way right over to him she holds her hand out. "Ready, boyfriend?"

He pretends his knees aren't slightly weak and takes her hand. "You bet."

Veronica Lodge glides by him with the clicking heels of what he assumes are expensive shoes and looks at him from the corner of her eye. Just before she passes him completely he sees a wicked smile on her face as she says in a low tone, "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Betty leads him to her regular table, the one he's so very good at pretending he's not watching every day and sits, indicating for him to sit down next to her. Once he's settled, his nerves of everyone watching Betty Cooper hold hands and sit with the not new yet still newest kid in school start to make him fidget and she grabs onto his leg, stilling him.

"Act natural," she whispers to him. "Do you bring your lunch or buy it?"

"Buy it," he tells her, gesturing to the growing line on the other end of the cafeteria.

She stands, leaving her bag in her chair, grabbing his to do the same as she takes him by the hand once more, pulling him towards the line. "Come on."

"Everyone is staring," he whispers in her ear as they walk. "I mean, seriously, _everyone_."

"Mmhmm," she murmurs to him, holding his hand tighter. "They are."

"Is this what you expected?"

"I expect worse by the time lunch is over," she informs him softly. "I hope you're alright with PDA, by the way."

"Yeah, sure-" Jughead stops. "Wait, what?"

"Hey, you brought me in on this deal, so we're gonna sell it," she insists, as they grab the trays for their lunches.

Jughead feels like he's walking underwater by the time they get back to the table and sit down. Veronica is staring at him with a knowing gleam in her eye and Archie Andrews is just looking at him confused about what's going on.

 _Me too, Archie_ , he thinks.

"What's this, Betty?" Archie asks her, gesturing back and forth between them.

Betty sends him a bright smile as she replies, "Haven't you heard? Jughead's my boyfriend now."

"Jughead? Really?"

"Yup. Is there a problem, Archie?" The sweet tone of her voice sounds like there's danger underneath of it.

"Nope, none," Archie quickly responds, returning to eating his lunch.

Jughead leans over to quietly ask, "What's the point of all of this?"

Laying her head sweetly on his shoulder she tells him, "We're making a spectacle of ourselves."

"I can see that, but why?"

"Jughead, come on. The only thing that moves faster than the speed of light is gossip."

Veronica snorts a laugh from across the table and Betty smiles at her as she reaches to hold his hand again.

By the time they're done eating most of the school has heard about Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones, canoodling at the lunch table with no shame. As they leave and pass by Jason Blossom sitting next to Polly he winks at Jughead, making him wish he could roll his eyes. He wonders if Betty sees it but by the scoff he hears from her, he knows she did.

"I'd feel worse about what we're doing but honestly, Jason's been sending his neanderthal buddies after me for months, usually ones who don't understand the word no," she explains as they move out and into the hallway. "Walk me to class?"

 _As if I had a choice_ , he says to himself. He lost control of the situation from the moment the calculating look in her eyes landed on him in the library. "Sure." Taking initiative for the first time that day, he grabs her hand and leads them to Betty's science class.

Stopping outside of the door, she leans into him while playing with the collar of his jacket, pulling him down and kissing the corner of his mouth. "I'll see you later, Jug."

He knows his face is showing the shock the rest of him is feeling as he looks past her into the classroom of everyone watching them. "Yeah, uh, later is good."

Walking away he feels like an idiot, true. But he feels like an idiot who just got _kissed_ by Betty Cooper.


	2. Chapter 2

4\. She's Mischievous

Jughead hadn't known what to expect when he shows up to school the next day but an armful of bubbly blonde wasn't even close to the top of the list.

Maybe the list in his dreams, but reality? Not so much.

He can feel the weight of everyone staring at him as Betty throws her arm around his neck, whispering into his ear, "Are you ready?"

"Wha-" is all he gets out before Betty's lips are on his and his brain short circuits. _So this must be the PDA she mentioned,_ he thinks. Her hands are in his hair, pulling on the back of it, right below where his beanie is sitting and he struggles not to moan into her mouth. His left arm reaches around her back and the right one comes up to stroke along her jawline before his fingers wrap around her neck to keep her from moving away too quickly.

She's sucking his lower lip into her mouth, pulling him closer against her, making him lean down so he can keep hold of her. When she breaks away from him, he realizes they had been in front of an audience and he can feel his face heating up at the display they had just put on.

The smirk she's wearing tells him she knows exactly what she was doing when she says, "I guess the deal's still on." Grabbing his hand and leading him into the school he follows in a slight daze. At this point he just hopes he can keep up.

"So," he hears her say to him as she's dragging him along, "Polly, Jason, you, and I have a date tonight after the game at Pop's."

"We do?"

"We do." She looks over her shoulder at him for a moment. "Oh, and you're coming to the game, right?"

His sound of protest seems to amuse her. "Of course you are, you're my boyfriend so I expect to see you there, in the bleachers. Cheering your little black leather heart out at my impeccable high kicks."

Trying not to think about Betty high kicking anything in a short skirt he clears his throat and tries to get her to slow down. "You're, uh, really going ahead with this then?"

Stopping she spins around to face him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I have no idea," he tells her honestly. He hadn't expected any of this if he's honest. Yelling, cursing, maybe grudging acceptance with the minimal chance to convince her she might find him charming if she looks at him with one eye closed while humming to drown him out was the best he'd hoped for.

So far he'd been kissed twice, holding her hand in the halls, and announced as Betty Cooper's boyfriend with a confirmed date that night. Even if he had to sit through her cheering for some game he didn't understand and didn't care about and make it through a double date with her sister and Jason Blossom.

"Hey, won't your mom and dad want to meet me or something?" he asks with some confusion. If they're not allowed without each other how are they just going to go to Pop's after the game?

Finally reaching their destination of what he now sees is the Blue and Gold office she pulls him through the door, closing it behind them.

"What? No, oh no, I'm not exposing you to my mother unless I have to. No one deserves that," she informs him as she sits at one of the desks, gesturing for him to take the chair sitting near hers.

"Then why would you or Polly-"

"Have to go through all of this to go out?" she interrupts and he nods at her. "Alice Cooper has eyes everywhere in this town. If we go to, say, Pop's and no one sees Polly with me while I'm with you, my mom will know about it before I get home. So, as long as the pretense of propriety is kept then we'll be fine."

"You know that sounds ridiculous, don't you?"

"I do," she tells him. "But it is what it is until I leave for college."

It's not until he's sitting there watching Betty cheer that night that he thinks he might almost be aware of the position he put himself in. Especially when Kevin Keller sits down next to him with a dramatic sigh, propping his chin on his hand as he looks at him.

"Can I help you?" Jughead asks.

"You know, now I understand what you see in Betty but I don't quite get what she sees in you," Kevin sighs out. "Oh wait. Except for the money you accepted to date her and then offered to split the profits."

Jughead is immediately tense and wary as he waits for Kevin to keep going.

"Which, honestly, is genius. If only I weren't gay, Betty and I could have been cleaning up this whole time."

He can't help the laugh that bursts out of him as he tries and fails to not smile at Kevin.

Kevin looks satisfied. "Ah, there we go. Now I see what Betty sees in you."

"I take it Betty told you everything?" Jughead asks, turning back to watch Betty cheering next to Veronica.

Kevin hums out his agreement, following his line of sight before smirking. "She did. She also told me you folded like napkin and admitted to all of your devious schemes."

"I wouldn't say devious," Jughead defends. "More like, an opportunity?"

"Is that what you told yourself?"

Sighing out his acceptance of his fate he just shrugs at Kevin. "Yeah."

Kevin's face softens at his demeanor and reaches out and pats his shoulder. "That'll do pig. That'll do."

It gets another laugh out of Jughead and they're both smiling when they return to watching Betty on the field.

"You do know she's going to make what happened this morning and at lunch seem like hand holding, right?" Kevin tells him suddenly.

Jughead twists to face Kevin so fast he almost loses his hat. "What?"

"Buckle up, lover boy," is the only thing he says to him as Jughead remembers the show Betty had put on at lunch that day.

 _As soon as he had gotten his lunch to the table and sat down he found himself with Betty in his lap before he knew what was happening. A loud smacking kiss to his cheek startled him further and his shocked face must have amused Veronica because she was trying hard to stifle her laughter as Betty threw her arms around his shoulders telling him, "I missed you!"_

 _She was definitely getting the attention of everyone within hearing range much to his dismay. Having Betty on his lap? That can go on the list of things he's enjoying. Being stared at? Not so much._

 _"Uh, yeah, sure," he stutters out at her. Jughead thinks she might be enjoying his discomfort as she reaches for a chip and gives him pouting eyes as she makes him eat from her hand. When he complies, she gives him a sly but victorious grin and reaches for another chip. He lets her feed him between the light kisses she's planting on him. He knows when he's defeated._

 _But he also knows Betty Cooper in his lap kissing him and if that makes him a loser, well, he'll take it._

* * *

5\. She's Fierce

In the three weeks he's been fake-dating Betty Cooper he's noticed she's one of the fiercest women he's ever met.

And yet, still oddly polite about it.

He sees it, _really_ sees it, for the first time when they're out on a "date" at the same party Jason and Polly have gone to. Loud mostly drunk teenagers pretending to be sober as they dance in the middle of some over privileged kid's living room, spilling their drinks and knocking stuff over as they laugh about almost falling over.

"Are you sure you want to be here?" is the first thing he asks her as they walk through the house. Unfortunately it was heard by Moose Mason as he was hanging off of his girlfriend, Midge, who snorts out a sarcastic laugh in Jughead's direction.

"Does the poor little Southsider feel uncomfortable?"

Jughead stiffens as he hears Moose's taunt. "What did you-"

"Excuse me?" Betty interrupts, pushing Jughead to the side a little as she stands in front of Moose with her hands on her hips. "I must have misheard you, Moose. There's no way you were talking about Jughead just now, right? I mean, it's not like where he lives is a _choice_ , is it? And we all know that people who live in glass closets shouldn't throw stones, don't we?"

He watches Moose turn a bright shade of red with a sheepish answer of, "Of course not, Betty."

Betty sends him a beaming smile. "I thought so! I do apologize for mishearing you, Moose, the music is just so loud in here." Grabbing Jughead's hand she pulls him forward deeper into the party.

"Do I want to know what just happened?" he whispers in her ear.

Shaking her head slightly she looks over her shoulder. "Probably not, no."

"Alright."

Betty finally leads him into the kitchen where's it both quieter and there are copious amounts of drinks available. "Want something?"

Jughead looks around at all of the available alcohol and raises an eyebrow at her. "Do you?"

"Not really," she replies with a careless shrug. "I do need a bathroom though, will you be fine here until I get back?"

"Sure."

Spending what feels like at least thirty minutes waiting for Betty in the kitchen has him wondering about the bathroom rituals of women before he starts to get worried she forgot about him or something even worse happening when he gives in and goes looking for her. Trying to find his way back the way they had come in he hears her before he sees her.

Internally cursing everyone at this party he thinks he should have gone looking ten minutes previously when he finds her dancing on a table with a drink in her hand.

Walking up to the crowd egging her on he starts asking who gave her the drink. Some kid he doesn't know the name of just shakes his head at him with a lift of his shoulders.

Tapping another guy on the arm he points at Betty when he turns to look at Jughead. "Who gave her that drink?"

"I don't know, dude," the guy tells him casually. "It's funny though."

"Yeah, real funny," he says with a roll of his eyes. Pushing his way to the table he crosses his arms while looking up at Betty waiting for her to see him so he doesn't accidentally knock her over if he startles her.

Betty is the one who ends up startling him when she yells out loudly, "JUGHEAD! JUGGIE! JUGGGG!"

"Hey, Betty. Are you ready to go?" he asks, reaching his hands up so she can take them. "You might want to put your drink down."

"No!" Betty shouts seriously. "Never put your drink down at a party, Jug, that's how you get drugged."

"Is that right?" he questions, trying to keep her attention while also trying to get her safely off of the table.

"It is," she informs him, taking a drink from her cup. "Because of the patreearchie. Wait, that's not right. Pat-Ree-Archie. No. That's not right at all, is it?"

"Nope," he answers, trying to catch her hand in his. "I think you mean patriarchy."

"Yes!" she yells, satisfied. "The damn misogyny!"

"Close enough," he tells her, finally catching her empty hand with his fingers. "Come on, Betty."

Slumping slowly to her knees on the table where she sets her empty cup before looking at him with wide green eyes. "Jughead, I think there was alcohol in my drink."

He tries so hard not to laugh at the seriousness of her voice stating the obvious, he _really_ does. Not able to hold it back he agrees with her through his laughter. "You know what? I think there might have been some, too."

Nodding at him before shooting him a wide smile she throws herself forward at him as she shouts, "We should do karaoke!"

Groaning he catches her with a step back to keep them both upright. "No."

"No?" Her voice is small and sad as she pulls back to look at him with an upset expression.

"Betty." He adjusts his hands under her upper thighs trying to maneuver her through the booing crowd who are apparently upset he's taken away their entertainment. "I am not singing-"

"Hey! No booing my boyfriend!" she yells out, interrupting him while also destroying his eardrum. The noise cuts off and she wiggles higher in his arms and calls out a loud, "Thank you!"

Huffing out a laugh at how proud she sounds at her success he keeps walking to where he thinks the front door is. Jughead can see their escape when he feels his hat lift off of his head. "Hey, wait a minute-"

Betty is leaning back and almost falling out of his arms as she puts the beanie on with a bright smile. Once it's sitting on her head, falling a little to one side she slams her mouth on him, nipping his bottom lip before slipping her tongue along his as she wraps her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him closer as she tightens her legs where they're crossed behind him on his hips.

Stumbling into a wall, he braces himself as he kisses her back, knowing he probably shouldn't but accepting that Betty makes him a little more stupid than usual. When she breaks it, they're both panting and flushed.

Putting the hat back on his head and adjusting it until she's happy she smiles at him. "You'll be glad to know that the hat has nothing to do with how well you kiss. No magical powers of any kind."

Laughing at her he grips her legs tighter as he makes his way once again to the front door. "Is that right?"

"Mmhmm," she murmurs as she lays her head on his shoulder. "I told Veronica it was just a beanie but she thought it might have some sort of magic in it if I agreed to go out with you because as she puts it, "I am way above your pay grade."

Stifling another laugh at her just letting her thoughts run free he tells her, "She's not wrong."

Jughead can feel her scoff into the skin of his neck. "Please, she's dating Archie."

"Okay," he says slowly. "What does that mean?"

"That her taste is all in her mouth and shoes."

Struggling not to drop her with the laugh that bursts out of him he just holds her closer. "Alright, drunk Betty, let's get you sobered up."

Throwing herself back where she can see him her eyes are bright and wide. "Pop's? I _really_ want waffles."

"Waffles it is."

"You're such a good fake boyfriend, Jug," she tells him. "If fake boyfriends had a rating, I'd give you five stars."

* * *

6\. She's Thoughtful

Four weeks into their agreement he thinks he knows how thoughtful Betty Cooper is. He finds out he's wrong on a random weekday when he's texted her to let her know he's home sick. Jughead has no idea how he got the flu, the belief that the Jones immune system was indestructible letting him down when he wakes up feeling like death and spending at least five minutes debating whether or not to just sleep in the tub so he could be close to the toilet and wondering how many times someone can throw up before their organs start to join the party.

He's almost certain you can't puke up a kidney but considers googling it just to be safe when he hears the knocking on his door.

Stumbling slowly, bleary eyed, and wearing nothing but sweat pants and a tank top he opens the door expecting it to be almost anyone but Betty Cooper standing on the tiny porch of his dad's trailer, holding two paper bags with a sunny smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, his throat scratchy and sore. "I don't want to get you sick."

Pushing past him with a determined face, she looks side to side to spot the kitchen before going to the counter to set her bags down. "I come bearing survival tools. And, I'm not the one of us who seems to have forgotten how to get a flu shot."

"Huh?" he questions, sure he didn't hear her correctly.

She spins around to finally take in his appearance. "Juggie, you look awful."

"Thanks," he replies sarcastically. "Are you saying my modeling career is a pipe dream?"

Rolling her eyes at him, she puts her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up. Have you taken any medicine?"

"No, I've been puking and trying to accept death while laying in the tub."

"Jug." She does not look amused. "Go lay down."

"You're so bossy," he whines as he shuffles to the living room and flops onto the ancient sofa.

He wakes up a little while later to the smells of something delicious that he's determined to eat no matter how violently it comes back up.

"What's that?" he mumbles at Betty, his eyes still blurry with sleep and nausea.

She sits on the edge of the coffee table with a bowl in her hands. "It's chicken noodle soup, a Cooper family recipe."

"Recipe?" he questions, eyeing the bowl with new determination. "Is it like the Jones family recipe that only requires a can opener?"

She grins at him. "Of course not. It's homemade, just like everything else I brought."

He holds his hands out for the bowl while still laying down. "Soup me."

Giggling at him, she tells him to sit up so he can use the spoon.

"Spoons are for cowards. Soup me, Betty," he insists, his eyes falling halfway closed.

"I don't think so," she states as she carefully moves to sit on the edge of the sofa cushions. Slowly spooning the soup to him he moans at the first bite. "Do you like it?"

"Mmhmm, if the Coopers tried to take out the Campbells in a knife fight, I'd definitely put money on you."

"I think you're delirious."

She keeps feeding him until it's almost gone and before she can move to take the bowl back into the kitchen he grasps her wrist, staring at her with sleepy eyes. "Thank you, Betty."

"You're welcome, Jug."

She only wakes him up once to make him take some medicine and by the time the sun is gone for the day he has a hazy memory of her telling him she'd see him later and to make sure he keeps resting.

When he's finally awake enough to be mobile he finds his dad sitting at the kitchen table digging into what looks like a Betty made casserole with a pile of cookies next to him.

"Where'd this come from?" FP asks through a full mouth.

Jughead slumps into the chair across from him, stealing a cookie. "Betty Cooper."

"That was nice of her," his dad tells him in between bites.

"Yeah, it was," he replies. "She's great."


	3. Chapter 3

7\. She's Encouraging

"Why aren't you publishing these?" she asks, looking irritated with him.

Jughead turns to her, bewildered. "Publishing what?"

She's got his notebook in her hand, the handwritten notes mixed in with the typed up stories he's been carrying around.

"Where did you get those?" he questions her.

"I stole them out of your bag when you weren't looking," she informs him without a trace a guilt.

He's annoyed. "Betty, did it occur to you that maybe if they were in my bag, they weren't for everyone to read?"

"Of course it did," she says, shrugging at him. "If you were sharing them, I wouldn't have had to _steal_ them."

Rubbing a hand across his forehead he lets his shoulders fall in resignation. "Betty-"

"Look, Jug, I'm sorry for snooping but you're always writing and you never let anyone see it. I run the Blue and Gold, you know. We could have been publishing these for weeks or months, or even since last year but you've been keeping them to yourself!" she exclaims, waving the papers in front of him as she's talking.

"Did you think that maybe I didn't want my stuff printed in a school newspaper?"

Betty scoffs. "Oh, I'm sorry it's not the New York Times, Jughead, but-"

"That is not what I meant," he interrupts. "Some stuff isn't meant to be shared."

"I didn't read your diary, Jug, these are stories, they're human interest pieces, these are definitely meant to be read and you know it. You can lie to yourself all you want if you must, but don't lie to me."

They're staring at each other and Jughead knows she's right. He doesn't want to admit it but, yeah, he knows she's got a point. Letting out a deep breath as he runs a hand across the back of his neck, he gives in.

"Fine," he tells her. "You can put some of them in the paper if you want to."

Her smile is wide as she bounces a little on her toes, ponytail swinging as she shakes the papers in her hand happily. Throwing her arms around him and hugging him tight she whispers in his ear, "You won't regret this, Juggie, I promise."

He thinks he might actually believe her.

* * *

8\. She's forgiving

In the weeks he's been "dating" Betty he'd noticed just how often she forgave everyone their transgressions.

The people who take advantage of her, the ones who only talk to her when they want something from her, her friends who love her but aren't perfect people, her sister who means well but seems to live in her own world, and her parents, who he's never met but has heard enough about to know that her generous spirit couldn't have come from them.

She just continually finds it in herself to assume the very best of everyone and when they prove to not deserve it she decides they deserve it _anyway_.

He'd been in awe of that part of her for weeks now, watching her share her big, beautiful heart with whoever needs it, never asking for anything in return. She quick and sarcastic, talks back with the best of them but as soon as she thinks someone needs her, she's all smiles and gentle reassurances, helping where she can and helping them find the help they need when she can't.

He's in awe of her, really.

Part of him had wondered if the glow of perfection he could have sworn was surrounding her would ever fade and when it did, would he be the architect of his own destruction?

Yes and no.

It takes seven weeks but when it implodes, they both blow it up. It happens in the Blue and Gold office, door closed and locked for privacy.

"There's a party this weekend," Betty starts, spinning her chair around from her desk to face him as she speaks.

Jughead groans. "No. No more parties please. Even if you paid me, I wouldn't want to go."

She sits up straighter. "Jug, you _are_ being paid."

He had _forgotten_. He had completely forgotten he wasn't really dating Betty Cooper. It makes him angry and without another outlet, he wants to blame her. He knows it's wrong but it was such a slap in the face of reality he feels like an idiot. Almost duped though it was his idea in the first place.

"Well, I'm so sorry that I can think of better things to do with my time than sit bored at a Northside party making sure you don't end up drunk again."

She rears back from the heat in his voice. "What-"

"Did it occur to you, Betty, that I might have better things to do?"

Her eyes are wide and hurt. "Jughead, what are you talking about? Why are you so angry?"

Jughead wants to stop himself, he can almost see his brain leaving his body while screaming at him to pull his shit together and stop. To s-t-o-p while he's ahead but he doesn't.

"Maybe I don't want to be your revenge plan anymore, Betty," he says, trying to look unaffected. "Maybe I'm tired of wasting my time on a fake relationship that's not going anywhere."

"Wasting your time?" She sounds like she's about to cry. "Are you for real right now?"

Crossing his arms and shrugging, he looks off to the side, out of the window on the far side of the room, leaning back further into the desk he'd been leaning on, trying to get why he's hurting the one girl in the world he never wants to hurt. A feeling of embarrassment creeps up in the back of his head that he had let himself forget that while his feelings were real, he doesn't know where she stands because he's been so caught up in it, he'd forgotten it was all a lie. Either way, he knows he's being a dick for no real reason.

Her breathing is loud in the room, like she's trying to calm herself down. He doesn't know why he's lashed out at someone who doesn't deserve it. The armor he'd been wearing coming up and turning him into the asshole everyone thought the leather jacket made him.

Every second is another second he has time to hate himself a little more. Just as he's starting to realize how much he's going to regret what he's just done, Betty gets mad.

And not the mad that means her smile is slightly fake and she blinks faster than normal until the conversation is over. This is the mad that has her jumping up and out of her chair, ponytail swinging, cheeks red with anger.

"I don't know who you think you are, Jughead Jones, but you approached me. If anyone is wasting their time, it's me!" she yells at him, hands on her hips, breathing heavy.

He winces with the direct hit.

"I agreed to do this stupid plan _with_ you, not for you," she snaps at him. "You agreed with Jason's idea to make money off of dating me and I thought, you know, I actually thought, okay this guy told me upfront about what he did, he's not some asshole who's gonna make money off of me then humiliate me later when I find out about it."

"Betty-"

"Because you know, Jug, you know those plans always fail, right? You always get caught, you always show your true self, and I-and I-" She waves a hand in front of herself, staring at the ground as she finally breaks down into tears. "-I really thought you were this great guy who, like you said, did it because you didn't know how to ask me out. Was this the plan? To let me in on it, to play me for a fool while I thought you were being honest?"

He reaches for her, trying to catch her wrist but even upset, she's quicker than him. "No, you know me better than that-"

"Do I?" she interrupts. "I never thought you'd live up to the stereotype, Jughead."

Furrowing his brow he asks, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, Jughead, leather and a motorcycle, pretending to the world that you don't care when it's obvious to anyone who looks that you care. You care so much you're willing to write off anyone you think might hurt you first," she scoffs angrily at him, wiping her fingers under her eyes to get rid of the remaining tears.

"What the actual fuck, Betty? Is that what you think of me?" He's offended. And legitimately pissed, mostly because he's not sure she's wrong.

She lifts her shoulder at him in a half shrug, looking away from his face.

He's getting angrier with each second that passes and she's trying not to cry again and though the idea of her in tears is ripping him up, he's genuinely hurt by what she's just said. He's not even sure what he said to her in the first place to fire her up any longer if he's being truthful, he just reacted and now they're both paying the price.

Trying to decide between storming out of the room or ignoring her until one of them cracks he's thrown out of his silent staring contest with the wall behind her when he hears her sobbing, harder than before.

Even mad, he can't stand the idea of being why Betty Cooper is crying. Standing up straight, he pulls her to him, even as she's trying to push him away, telling him plenty of choice words he never thought he'd hear from her mouth, almost making him laugh.

Finally getting a grip on her, he tightens his arms around her, trying to calm her down. Once she's just making small sniffling sounds and her shoulders go slack he backs just far enough away to look down at her.

She's got mascara running down her face and god, he hopes those are tears and not snot she's getting all over his shirt. Her big green eyes are glassy and her nose is red, under her eyes is already puffy, and her hair is somehow frizzing at the edges.

He can't help the smile that comes across his face as she glares up at him from her position in his arms.

"What?" Her tone would be harsh if she didn't sound like she was three days into a cold.

He's so amused the words just come out before he can stop them. "It's just a relief to know there's one thing you do that _isn't_ attractive."

The fire in her eyes makes him think she's about to punch him so he hurries the sentiment along.

"But even so, you're still the most beautiful girl I've ever met."

Relaxing just slightly at that, she lightly kicks his shin. "I hate you."

"That's fair," he tells her, pulling her back into a tight hug. "You know, this stopped being fake a long time ago right?"

She's nodding against him, picking at his shirt. "Was it ever fake, Juggie?"

"I don't think so."

He tries to kiss her, for real this time, when she leans back from him and he looks at her in confusion.

She gestures to her face. "I'm all gross."

Jughead smiles at her. "A gross Betty Cooper is still better than anyone else, I think I'll take my chances."

Taking her face in his hands he kisses her for the first time for no other reason than he can.

* * *

9\. She's loving

Jughead Jones is standing nervously on the Cooper doorstep as he waits for someone to answer the door. He's not met Betty's parents yet but he knows this meeting is important, this is the first impression they're going to have of their daughter's boyfriend and he knows, he just _knows_ it'll probably be a bad one.

The Jones luck almost demands it.

He jumps back in surprise as the door swings open and all he can hear is yelling and someone wailing like they're dying. Tentatively taking a step forward he sticks his head in the doorway carefully, just in case it's a trap of some kind.

Seeing nothing inherently dangerous he catches a flash of blonde ponytail so he follows the path it was taking, hoping he's following the right Cooper as he cautiously walks through the house to the sound of the commotion.

When he finds her, she's holding onto what he assumes is her wailing mother. The only words he hears clearly are _curse_ and _oh god why_ and _what was she thinking?_ Catching Betty's eye she just shakes her head at him and mouths, _"Polly's pregnant."_

For the first time in his life he's glad a woman is crying loudly, he hadn't been able to keep the snort of laughter in when he realized the situation.

Betty throws him a half hearted glare but even she looks like she's about to bite her lip to keep the giggles in. The absurdity of the whole situation is almost too ridiculous to not be slightly amusing.

Mrs. Cooper finally pulls her head off of Betty's shoulder, seeing him for the first time standing there in a leather jacket and beanie, suspenders hanging with black combat boots on her perfectly perfect living room rug and she stands up quickly.

He takes a step back.

She takes another step forward and it takes everything he has to stand still as she walks to him. Narrowing her eyes she walks around him in a circle and the only thing he can do besides breathe is think about the fact that now he knows where Betty gets her glare from.

Stopping in front of him, still dressed in her business casual suit, arms crossed with a tissue in hand she stares at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You're FP's son." It's a statement, not a question.

"Uh, yeah, how'd you-"

"Out."

Jughead takes another step back out of sheer self preservation. "What?"

"You heard me. Get. Out."

"Mom!" Betty exclaims, pulling on her mother's elbow. "You can't just talk to him like that!"

"This is my house, Elizabeth, and I do not want this...this leather jacket wearing, Jones genetics having, beanie wearing miscreant in my house!" Alice yells, pointing a finger at him.

He's shocked and he knows Betty is as well by her mom's meltdown.

"Mrs. Cooper-"

"Don't you get it, Betty? We're cursed! The women in this family must be cursed and trust me, running around with a Jones will get you in trouble faster than you can close your knees!"

"MOM!" Betty is horrified. She twists to look over at him again, eyes big and worried by the situation. "Stop yelling at Jughead, you don't even know him."

Alice turns to her daughter with a serious face. "Elizabeth -Betty-, please, I understand the appeal of the Jones men, I do, but it leads to nothing but trouble, I don't want you to end up like the rest of us."

"Mom, ew," Betty says quietly, stealing another look at Jughead who is still standing slightly terrified near the sofa he wants to bury himself under until Mrs. Cooper is no longer in the room. Or maybe the house. Possibly even the same town.

"Come on, let me take you to bed," she's whispering, tugging on her arm to get her to follow Betty up the stairs.

She tells him she'll be back in a few minutes and he nods at her, finally able to flop on the sofa, his shoulders hunching up to his ears, waiting for something else to go wrong.

When it had been quiet for close to five minutes, he sees Polly Cooper sneaking out the front door, bag in hand, before he clears his throat causing her to squeak in surprise.

"Going somewhere?" he asks her. He knows if she plans on just leaving it will destroy Betty.

Polly adjusts her sweater, pulling out all the Cooper tactics he's seen over the last year. Chin up, back straight, looking him straight in the eye with a complete facade of confidence. "Yes, I am. My parents are certifiable and I don't want to be around that while pregnant."

"Does Betty know about this?"

Polly rolls her eyes at his protectiveness. "Of course she does, who do you think told me the coast was clear?"

Jughead shrugs. "I just don't want to see Betty upset."

She smiles at him, adjusting the grip on her bag. "You're good for her, Jughead. Even if you were just fleecing Jason for cash."

"You knew?"

"Duh, from since the beginning. Betty and I don't lie to each other," she tells him, starting to walk out the door. "Hey, Jughead?"

"Yeah?"

"Remind her that I love her and I'll see her soon, okay?"

"You got it," he replies, leaning back against the sofa cushion again.

He thinks it might be another ten minutes before he hears Betty coming down the stairs. Her face is tired and she looks emotionally drained. She sits next to him, laying her head on his shoulder, reaching to take one of his hands.

She exhales loudly after a little while. "I don't mean to presume anything but, Juggie, we're gonna need, like, three kinds of birth control."

Jughead starts coughing. He'd thought about it sure, but he didn't expect her to say it like she was telling him about a homework assignment.

Adjusting himself so he can wrap an arm around her shoulder, squeezing her into his side for comfort.

"So," he says, changing the subject, "where's your dad?"

Betty throws her head back dramatically. "Probably in the basement. He disappeared as soon as Polly said she was pregnant and had plans to live with Jason."

"She told me what you did for her," he tells her. "Wanted me to tell you she loves you and she'll see you soon."

Betty smiles sadly. "I'm going to miss her being here with me."

Kissing the side of her head he breathes in the scent of her hair. "You're too good for all of us, you know that, Cooper?"

She shrugs, picking at her sleeve. "I just love all of you, that's all-" She stops when she realizes what she just said, looking up at him with wide and slightly terrified eyes. "Uh-"

Laughing at her nervousness he just holds her tighter. "I love you too, just so you know."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. But to be fair, I think I love you most in that short little cheerleading skirt-"

Betty cuts him off by whacking him in the chest and he starts laughing, catching her hand in his, pressing a kiss to her palm before sitting back on the Cooper's sofa, holding the daughter that holds them all together.

* * *

10\. She makes him happy

Betty Cooper makes Jughead Jones happy and that's probably the only fact he can count on sometimes. She makes him happy when she's smiling and when she's laughing with him. Often it's even when it's _at_ him.

She makes him cookies and rolls her eyes at his sardonic outlook on life with humor and exasperation. Kisses in the hall and even the time she got him to sing karaoke with her at one of those terrible Northside parties. And if she never brings it up after the fact and pretends it never happened with him, well, that's another reason she makes him happy. Caring for him when he's sick and helping him with college applications, submitting his papers and stories everywhere she can think of to get his foot in a door, any door, she sends shudders of pure happiness up his spine.

Jughead gets the love of Betty Cooper and he doesn't think anything will ever make him happier. Not the time they lost their virginity together on the bed in his trailer, with two kinds of birth control and him still pulling out before he had finished can even top the fact that he gets hear the words _I love you_ come out of her mouth meant for him.

But still, the sex is definitely at the top of the list even if they're beyond careful each and every time. Nothing could ruin a mood more than a screaming baby and they're not trying to play any sort of Baby Russian Roulette while in high school.

She holds his hand and looks at him like she can't believe she got him and the idea that she thinks she's the lucky one makes him happy. She's not, but who is he to tell her what to think? The fact that she still sits on his lap at lunch and the fact that she got immense pleasure of thanking Jason for all that money in front of about twenty people once when he said something that irritated her still makes him laugh to this day.

Jason's face, shocked and horrified as he turned to Jughead like he couldn't believe he told her, made for a great meme after Kevin took the perfect picture of it on his phone. Jason had turned to Polly, probably in fear of what she'd think about it and she just shrugged, eating another fry and told him, "You tried to pay someone to date my sister, of course I was going to let her take your money."

Betty's bright laugh and smug smile over the whole situation made him incredibly happy. He didn't think such a good thing would come from such a dumb decision on his part but he's not going to look too close at the details, he's, for once, just going to enjoy it.

Which is what he's doing now as he's got his hands hooked under her bare thighs, her god awful wonderfully tempting River Vixen skirt pushed all the way up with her panties shoved to the side as he slides in and out of her, pushing her harder against the wall for leverage as she locks her legs around his hips and hangs on to his neck. He's put his head into the curve of her neck, biting little kisses being pressed along her skin with each push and pull. Her head falling back against the wall of the newspaper office they should definitely not be having sex in but it's been a fairly popular go-to spot for them over the last year.

He can feel her breath hitch with each thrust in and he knows he's hitting her clit with each slide up and he's adjusting his hands to grip her legs tighter so he can hit it harder, making her moan and squeeze him with her thighs as she comes before going almost boneless against the wall. She comes back to herself and kisses him, sliding her tongue along his lips until he lets her in, slipping her tongue along his, the sucking and nipping she's doing to his bottom lip making him speed up and groan into her mouth.

The shiver up his spine tells him he's close and the tension in his abdomen have him pulling out of her with her reaching down to help him finish into the condom as he breathes heavily, trying to maintain some semblance of sanity so she doesn't realize just how ridiculous he about her every second of every day.

A goofy smile crosses his face as she looks at him with affection.

"What are you smiling at, Jug?"

He shrugs the best he can with her still in his arms, staring into her pretty eyes and trying to memorize her beautiful face. "You just make me happy, Betts, that's all."


End file.
